Trump strikes back at Jay-Z after the rapper criticized his vulgar reference to majority-black countries

President Donald Trump tweeted at the rapper Jay-Z on Sunday morning, saying the unemployment rate among black Americans was at a record low.

Jay-Z on Saturday had criticized the president’s use of a vulgar term to describe African countries, Haiti, and El Salvador during private immigration negotiations.

President Donald Trump tweeted at the hip-hop icon Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter on Sunday morning, saying the unemployment rate among black Americans was at a record low.

“Somebody please inform Jay-Z that because of my policies, Black Unemployment has just been reported to be at the LOWEST RATE EVER RECORDED!” Trump wrote.

Trump’s tweet was apparently in response to comments Jay-Z made during a CNN interview on Saturday that were critical of the president’s use of a vulgar term to describe African countries, Haiti, and El Salvador during private immigration negotiations earlier this month.

“Everyone feels anger, but after the anger it’s really hurtful because he’s looking down on a whole population of people and he’s so misinformed because these places have beautiful people,” the mogul told the CNN host Van Jones.

Trump’s January 11 remark, in which he was said to have asked a bipartisan group of senators why the US wanted “all these people from shithole countries coming here,” sparked widespread criticism from leaders on both sides of the aisle and around the world. Many accused the president of racism.

Jones, who is black, asked Jay Z whether it was OK for the president “to say terrible things but put money in our pockets,” referring to Trump’s claims about the black unemployment rate. Jay-Z said it was not.

“It’s not about money at the end of the day,” the rapper said. “Money doesn’t equate to happiness. It doesn’t. That’s missing the whole point. You treat people like human beings. That’s the main point.”